Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half! with Stephanie Nelson, The Coupon Mom
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Five Ways to Save...

On Halloween Costumes & Candy

by Stephanie Nelson

1.  An Expensive Holiday. Halloween is now reported to be the 2nd most expensive holiday of the year, right behind Christmas. Even though we don't exchange expensive gifts on Halloween, it is easy to rack up big bills on costumes and candy. The good news is that there are many easy ways to save money on Halloween expenses without compromising on having fun.

2. Be creative. It can cost $35 to $50 for many popular children's costumes at party stores, which adds up quickly if you have more than one child. With a little creativity, you and your children can make easy costumes with items you have around the house. You can also shop at a local thrift store to buy vintage clothing to use as costumes.

3. Research ideas on-line. My favorite costume idea resource is FamilyFun.com, which lists 100 easy and inexpensive costumes you can create at home -- whether you have a few hours or only a few minutes to put an outfit together. 

4. Don’t overbuy. If you live in a neighborhood, you will most likely be buying candy to give out on Halloween night. The challenge is to avoid overbuying -- who wants bags of leftover candy when our kids come home with far more than they need? Be conservative and buy a little less than you think you need. Most likely, it will be enough. If you run out of candy, you can always give out nickels or dimes to the later trick-or-treaters. 

5. Look for coupons. You can also save money on candy and costumes by watching for store sales and coupons in the Sunday coupon circulars or in your mailbox. Find coupons in the Sunday newspaper ads through the months of September and October.  

Stephanie Nelson is the Coupon Mom. Her web site, www.CouponMom.com, has 6 million members, and she is established as the nation’s top expert in couponing across the country. Stephanie has been on every major national television talk show and taught millions how to save money for the past 11 years. She has been called ‘”the rock star of the recession” by the Washington Post and her book, The Coupon Mom’s Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bills in Half, is a New York Times best seller.